Chapter 148 : Ling Ning-Flavored Instant Noodles
"Alright, I'm heading back now. Be careful on your way home."
"Mm."
Watching Ling Ning's figure fade into the distance, Xia You stood there until Ling Ning's scent had completely dissipated from the air. Only then did she quietly turn and leave.
She boarded the subway.
Silently, Xia You took out her phone and plugged in her earphones. She opened an audio file named "Ling Ning"—a collection of Ling Ning's voice recordings she had gathered over time.
"Xia You, what a coincidence."
"Xia You, I'm so hungry~"
"Xia You, want to go home together?"
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Listening to Ling Ning's voice, a gentle curve appeared at the corners of Xia You's lips. The guy next to her, who was playing "FGO," paused when he noticed Xia You's smile, momentarily stunned.
But Xia You paid no attention to the people around her. She quietly opened her photo gallery and browsed through Ling Ning's daily photos—pictures of her sleeping, writing, eating...
"Ah~ Ling Ning just gets more beautiful each time I look at her," Xia You thought to herself.
With Ling Ning's voice in her ears and her photos in her hands, Xia You soon arrived at her stop.
Back home, she glanced at the empty living room without a trace of surprise.
Some time ago, Xia You's father had seemingly lost his mind and left the house with the statement, "I'm going to make some money!" before disappearing. Naturally, he hadn't forgotten to take whatever money was left in the house.
Xia You had anticipated this day for a long time. She didn't care about the little money left at home anyway—she had her own secret stash. Besides her part-time job at the maid cafe, she was also a well-known game commentary streamer. On the nation's largest same-sex dating site, Xia You made decent earnings just by making videos and running ads. Some sites had even offered her large sums to do live streams, but she had declined.
That was why Xia You could often treat Ling Ning to free lunches.
In the past, Xia You could only record her game commentaries when her father was passed out drunk. Now, she could do it freely without any worries, whenever she wanted.
As for Xia You's identity as a famous game streamer, no one knew—not because she tried to hide it, but simply because no one had ever asked. If Ling Ning were to ask her, she'd certainly tell her.
Xia You estimated that there was just over a week left until the lease on the apartment was up. She was considering whether to renew it or move closer to Ling Ning. The rent might be a bit higher, but she could cover it with a few more ads.
Xia You walked into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. Apart from a few bottles of spiked beer, there wasn't a scrap of food in sight. She sighed. It was so cold outside that she really didn't feel like going grocery shopping. Instant noodles would have to do.
"Why can't they make Ling Ning-flavored instant noodles?"
As she waited for the noodles to cook, Xia You mused aloud, imagining how she would never get tired of Ling Ning-flavored noodles.
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After dinner and a shower, Xia You returned to her room.
The room had changed drastically since Ling Ning had last been there. Photos of Ling Ning now covered the walls. The bed was adorned with several different chibi Ling Ning plushies, and even a life-sized Ling Ning body pillow.
All of these had been custom-ordered online by Xia You. Originally, they had all been hidden under her bed, but ever since her father left, she had boldly displayed them out in the open. After all, there was no one else around to see them.
A small shelf had also been added to the room, holding some special items—Ling Ning's used straws, a plate she had licked, even a pair of her worn panties...
In short, every item on the shelf had been used by Ling Ning. They were Xia You's precious treasures.
Every night before going to sleep, Xia You would carefully admire them, which always helped her sleep better. Every morning, she'd do the same to energize herself, and even before eating—it made the food taste better. As for going to the bathroom... well, best not to get into that.
"Come to think of it, I haven't made a game commentary video in a while. Maybe I should make one tonight."
Talking to herself, Xia You opened her computer. But instead of sitting down immediately, she walked over to the shelf, took Ling Ning's panties, and put them on her head. Only then did she sit down at her desk.
Xia You's computer desktop featured a photo of Ling Ning sleeping in the classroom, sunlight streaming in through the window, bathing her in a golden glow, as if draping her in a wedding veil. It was breathtakingly beautiful.
This was Xia You's favorite photo of Ling Ning, captured purely by chance. Truly, a "lucky shot."
Xia You sat there, staring at her desktop in a daze, thinking about what game to commentate on.
Her last commentary had been on a game called "Berserker's Creed," a story about someone trying not to get caught sneaking into a fortress, ending up slaughtering every enemy in the city.
Though many new games had been released recently, Xia You wasn't planning on covering them. Commentating on new games required a lot of research and prep work, and she didn't have that kind of time right now.
So she decided to pick one of the games she was already familiar with—one she was good at—to avoid all that extra work.
"Savage 6? By the time I'm done with that, this book will have been long finished."
"Dead Fish Must Die? There's not much difficulty in that one. I wouldn't even know what to commentate on."
"The Tail Stalker series? I already covered all of those."
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Oh, by the way, Xia You's claim to fame was her commentary on "The Tail Stalker" series, from the first installment to the tenth. Even today, her performance is considered textbook.
After thinking it over, Xia You decided on "Light Learning 3." Back then, she had beaten the game multiple times, and its setting was fascinating enough for her to have studied it in depth. Now seemed like the perfect time to revisit it.
Although Xia You was shy and timid in real life, when it came to game commentaries, she was articulate and confident. If Ling Ning were here, she would be stunned.
But if Ling Ning really were here, Xia You wouldn't be able to commentate so smoothly. It was only when she was alone that she could speak so freely.
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Author's Note:
Haha, I finally got Jack! Haha!!!